Music Review: Mittenfields "Optimists"

[$6 to Download // $10 for CD // $15 for Vinyl // https://mittenfields.bandcamp.com/album/optimists]

How do you describe a band that reinvents rock n roll?  It's not really that easy when you can pull influences to try and get close to what this sounds like but just aren't quite able to reach the exact destination.    And that is the story of Mittenfields, which is oddly enough the story of many bands right now (but not enough) and I'm really happy about that-- all of these bands that sound kind of like someone but are still forging ahead with their own unique voice.

Bands that I like to think of in the same breath as Mittenfields include The Hold Steady, Thermals, Cheap Trick, Coyote Shivers, Five Eight and yes even The Killers on some weird level.   Obviously the notion of just thinking of Coyote Shivers just brings to mind the "Empire Records" soundtrack and with all the bands I want to put on there could it finally be time for a sequel, a sort of "Where Are They Now?"

Some of these eight songs simply need to be taken on a case by case basis though.   The second song, for example, can channel R.E.M.'s "The One I Love" while at other times I can hear the melodies of Toad the Wet Sprocket coming through if only musically.   And yet then at other times there is singing somewhere between The Church or Joy Division and as much as this can be rock n roll it can also be punk.

What I really just like about "Optimists" is that it just combines a lot of good things musically to form its own great music sound and overall it just has that pleasant feeling on the ears where it becomes fun to listen and you never really have to struggle or find a reason to enjoy it because it's all simply right in front of you.   At times post-punk, the singer can just belt it out and I love it.   With distortion at other times, the song "Mr. Hope" even ends in a spoken word bit that becomes a rant and it's just something you don't seen enough of in music today.

If you somehow cannot feed on the energy and intensity of this music, then perhaps you just need to listen to the lyrics.   Lines like "You put commas where most periods should go because you won't let go" should appeal to most writers while teaching the kids some lessons on grammar and the mere concept of "The wait is in the response" is something you could write an entire book about.     So lyrically there is a lot to think about and discuss and when you have that with this type of excellent music it just becomes an unstoppable force.